The Tutukaka Coast Millennium Time Capsule

Just yesterday we watched a pod of dolphins cruising
around the coast, and I had to reflect not only how lucky
we are to see such a spectacle, but also how little some
things have changed, because our forefathers would have
enjoyed the same sights.

This week I have been on an ACT
bus tour around Northland, and on Wednesday, in Dargaville,
I met up with a special Northlander – Tom McKay. Tom started
McKay Electrical a local company that has done business
throughout the country and further afield. Tom is 94 years
old and he reminded me of our days together as inaugural
members of the Northland Business Development Board, when I
was the President of the Northland Chamber of
Commerce.

Tom was born before the electricity,
telephone, and cars. In his lifetime, he has seen man walk
on the moon, libraries become electronic interactions
through the Internet, and he has seen too many young people
fall by the wayside because of a lack of family
values, an education system that lets youngsters fall
through the cracks, and a welfare system that entices them
into a future of doing nothing, achieving nothing, and
becoming long term dependents on the state.

Tom reminded
me this week on how confusing modern progress can be,
and he questioned whether that progress was taking us
forwards or taking us backwards. Certainly, in the area of
social advancement, we seem to have gone backwards over
the last thirty years, and unless we look at new ways and
new solutions, the signs are clearly there that more and
more of our young people will become
marginalised.

Technological progress can be confusing as
well. In many of the world’s cities, people now take longer
to get to work by car than they did in the old days, by
horse and cart!

Horses and carts were the major form of
local transport here at Ngunguru for years, until the road
was put in, back in 1930. But water was also a major form of
transportation. The British Navy took Kauri spars
from the coast for sailing boats as early as 1838.
Coastal timber was used in Auckland by 1841, and a mill
began operating in 1878, employing 50 men here at Ngunguru.
Other mills operated at Tutukaka and Matapouri.

Around
the turn of the century, a public hall was built in
Ngunguru, which unfortunately burnt down in 1950. As I
understand it a replacement hall was built in six weeks,
which should be an inspiration to those on committees to
roll up your sleeves, forget about all the time wasting
bureaucratic nonsense and just get on with the job as our
forefathers did!

Coal mining got going in 1892 in
Kiripaka, and for a time, shipping was more active on this
coast than in Whangarei itself.

The present road, which
was built largely by unemployed relief workers, was the
single most significant event to change the future of the
coast forever!

We are here today largely because of
the determination, commitment and hard work of Pat Newman.
The Tutukaka Residents and Ratepayers Association, some 4
years ago thought that a time capsule would be a great
project for the new millennium. As all too often
happens,responsibility rests on the broad shoulders of a few
- in this case Pat. On behalf of everyone here, I would like
to thank Pat for her contribution.

As the dawn broke
on the new Millennium, the passing of 1000 years and the
dawning of another 1000 years, caused most of us to
initially reflect on the transience of life - the seeming
insignificance of our own contribution in the whole scheme
of things. But then, there came a realisation that each and
every one of us plays a very important role in the progress
of mankind and the energy of our nation.

What makes a
country buzz is that energy, of tens of thousands of people
all striving to achieve their goals and aspirations. We
all have an inborn human drive to improve life for
ourselves, our families, our communities and indeed our
country. In pursuing our dreams, each and every one of us
becomes a leader, making our own unique contribution to
society.

Leadership is fundamental to the human
condition. It starts in our homes. Leadership springs from
a belief in ourselves, from knowing that we have the power
to make a difference, not only to our families and ourselves
but also to our communities, and indeed our country.
Leadership gives us strength of spirit, helping us to
overcome the challenges of life as we move forward.

With
leadership comes an understanding that if we all do just
a little bit extra in reaching out to others, together we
can have a significant impact on the wellbeing of our
society.

We are gathered here today to celebrate the
preservation of the contributions of families here on the
coast, leaders who have helped to shape the present through
the pursuit of their hopes and aspirations.

Today we are
putting to rest a snapshot of our history, to remain
undisturbed throughout the rest of our lifetime, and our
children’s lifetimes. It will be our unborn grandchildren
and great-grandchildren who will enjoy the excitement of
opening the capsule in 100 years time. It will be that
future generation who will experience the delight of
discovering how quaint and primitive we all were!

To all
of those who have helped the dream of a Tutukaka Coast
Millennium Time Capsule to become a reality, we thank
you.

For more information visit ACT online at
http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary
Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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